Vauxhall Viva city car set for 2015 launch

The all-new Vauxhall Viva city car could cost as little as £7k when it goes on sale in 2015, and is set to rival the likes of the Hyundai i10 and Ford Ka

Words ByEd Callow

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21 May 2014 11:10

Vauxhall is set to revive the Viva name for a 2015 city car that will be a rival for the likes of the Hyundai i10 and Ford Ka.

The new Vauxhall Viva will replace the Vauxhall Agila. While the Agila is based on the Suzuki Splash and is built in Hungary, the Viva will be based on the next-generation Chevrolet Spark and will be built by General Motors in South Korea.

Unlike its Peugeot 108 and Volkswagen Up rivals, the Viva be offered in five-door guise only. Don’t expect any extravagant options such as a folding fabric roof or a large range of personalised finishes, either. Vauxhall will follow VW’s and Seat’s lead by offering special editions of its city car, rather than a full customisation programme.

The Viva’s cabin is set to use a range of moulded, textured plastics to boost perceived quality in the eyes of prospective buyers. Standard kit will cover the basics, but nothing more - expect Bluetooth and hands-free controls, but digital radio may be available as a dealer-fitted option only.

We’d expect to see two versions of the latest three-cylinder petrol engine that’s offered in the Vauxhall Adam. The Viva is likely to take the 89bhp turbocharged triple, and could also have a naturally aspirated version of the same engine, which would take power down to around 70bhp. Expect CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km and official fuel economy of between 60mpg and 70mpg across the range.

The latest city cars from Toyota, Citroen, Peugeot and Hyundai start at around £8500, but the Viva is expected to undercut them all by a substantial margin. Company insiders have indicated that the target starting price is around £7000.

The new Vauxhall Viva is expected to be revealed in the first half of 2015, and should be in dealers by the end of the year.